1920/30s Hair

Hairstyles in the 1920s changed dramatically and created lots of controversy in society. The famous haircut was ‘The Bob’, a “blunt cut, level with the bottom of the ears all around the head”. The Bob created a revolution of shorter hair and came in many varied styles.

The Bob first came from ballroom dancer, Irene Castle, in 1915. Her hair was cut out of convenience for her dancing career, but created a massive fashion statement and ‘The Castle Bob’.

Men highly disapporved of this new fashionable cut, which gave women a sense of power and confidence, “when a woman cut her hair short, she grew bolder.” This new hairstyle was a chance for women to stand out, and soon everyone was wanting to get ‘bobbed’, to the point that “men raged over the female invasion of the babershop”. Unfortunately, this hairstyle caused so much uproar that jobs were lost and men even “divorced their wives over bobbed hair”.

Michael Warner, The Bob, viewed 15.10.14. Available at: http://www.hairarchives.com/private/1920s.htm

There were many variations of The Bob, as shown in this image:

Michael Warner, The Bob - Advertisement from the Milwaukee Barbers' Supply Company [online image] viewed 15.10.14. Available at: http://www.hairarchives.com/private/1920s.htm

The Shingle Bob:

The Shingle Bob is a classic, sharp bob and has the hair at the back “tapered into a V-shape at the nape of the neck”.

Louise Brooks Society, viewed 15.10.14, Louise Brooks Portrait [online image] Available at: http://louisebrookssociety.blogspot.co.uk/2013_10_01_archive.html

The Marcel Wave:

Often mistaken for the finger wave, but created using heated irons.

Vintage Gal, 2005, The Marcel Wave [online image] Available at: http://vintagegal.tumblr.com/post/44722518869/the-marcel-wave

The Finger Wave:

Created by using a comb, fingers and fixing product to the comb the hair direction and pinch. The hair is then allowed to set to create the look, even on straight hair.

Hairstyles Magazine 2014 Online, 2014, 1920s Hairstyles, viewed 15.10.14 [online image] Available at: http://everhairstyles.com/1920s-hairstyles.html

The Eton Crop:

This hairstyle is very short and slick, and was made famous by Josephine Baker (pictured below).

Dana Oliver, 2013, 1920s Hairstyles That Defined The Decade, From The Bob To Finger Waves (PHOTOS), viewed 15.10.14 [online image] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/08/1920s-hairstyles-photos_n_3720290.html